NAG Online confessional: I’m a crappy completionist

24 June 2016

By Tancrid "Tank" Muller

This is a new feature thing, a feature thing about shame. Gamer shame. We’ve all experienced it in any of its many forms at some point or are probably experiencing it right now (like I am since, you know, I’m starting this whole thing). This includes the writers here at Ye Olde NAG Online, which is why I’ve decided to come up with a little challenge for said writers.

To start off this hellish ride into the depths of crippling humiliation, I’m going to come clean about something I do as a gamer that I believe is fairly dishonourable, then at the end of the article, I’ll challenge one of my fellow writers to do the same. They will then challenge yet another writer, and we’ll see how far this full-disclosure train goes. So first, let me tell you about all the games that sit unfinished in the dark annals of my collection…

Firstly, I need to give you some idea of how bad my habit of not finishing games has gotten over the years. Here’s a list of a few games in my backlog I have yet to complete, even though some I’ve had for more than a year. I’m only going to be listing the ones I feel really bad for not completing (YET! [You’re not fooling anybody. – Ed]), especially since they’re really, really awesome:

Any Borderlands title other than the first

Rage

Alien Isolation

Wolfenstein: The New Order

Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3

Grand Theft Auto V

This War of Mine

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

Dark Souls II and III (to be fair, I’m one boss away from finishing Dark Souls II… though I’ve been one boss away for about a year)

South Park: The Stick of Truth

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (even though it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played)

Fallout 4 (especially shameful as I’m doing the mod showcase for it… I know I know!)

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

Call of Duty: Black Ops III (I usually finish the campaign mode with these things in a night or two… just not this one)

The original BioShock (BioShock 2 and Infinite sure, just not the game where it all started)

Man, that’s probably the most embarrassing list I’ve ever made, except maybe for the one I needed to add to my CV under “What are your greatest accomplishments”.

What makes my list of uncompleted games extra sad, is the fact that I honestly love all of them, it’s just that there always seems to be a reason or two holding me back from getting to the end-credits.

One of the reasons is fairly simple: I’m particularly fond of Blizzard games. Heroes of the Storm owns an extremely hefty chunk of my self-allotted gaming time, and after getting back into Hearthstone a few weeks ago (Whispers of the Old Gods rocks), I’m left with even less time for other games. Other titles are only considered after all the daily quests have been completed. I don’t think this will change anytime soon – in fact, it will probably get even worse if I decide to get Overwatch as well (who am I kidding, I’m totally gonna get it, the beta was a friggin blast!). The only way out as I see it would be to follow my original plan of going cold-turkey and stop playing Heroes of the Storm as soon as I own all the heroes – bought using gold, not real money – and have levelled the ones I like to at least 12.

“hero collection inadequate, must evolve.”

The time I’m left with after the aforementioned quests have been completed is sometimes enough to get into a non-competitive, single player game, especially during weekends. So more often than not, that’s exactly what I do. Except, if I decide to play any RPG (which happens to be my favourite genre), instead of loading up the character I’ve invested the most time into, I start all over again. Well that, or I decide to do everything other than the main quests. Usually I’m all for squeezing every last bit of content out of the games I play, but it’s getting kind of ridiculous.

I probably have about ten different characters, each with different classes, weapons, armour, playing styles, and temperaments in each of the RPGs I’m currently (sort of) playing. My usual excuses for doing this are something like “I’m just restarting because I think I picked the wrong perk with my other character,” or “I don’t like that other choice I made”, or “the team I started out with sucks,” or even “the way that guy looked at me that one time was lame so I’m starting over.” It’s not a perfect system, but it worked for me… for a while. Even though I still feel like at least I’m seeing and exploring more of the game world than I would have if I’d only done one or two playthroughs, but I’ve come to realise that in my quest to see, hear, smell, feel, experience, and screw up everything within these games, I find myself losing interest in them. Which is, you know, really friggin bad. Basically, I’m the type of completionist that has trouble actually completing games.

But nonsensical excuses aside, I know I’m not currently fully experiencing the great games I’m fortunate enough to own, and it makes me sad to think that some of them might be forgotten before they’ve been completed. But right here, right now, I vow to these games that I’ll put in more effort into controlling my restart impulses, and will show them the love they deserve. And yes, I know I just vowed to spend more time playing games like it’s going to be a difficult thing to do.

Anyway, that’s it for my confession, and man do I feel better. Feel free to shame me in the comments for my terrible transgressions, but be sure to share yours as well.

Oh, and before I forget, I hereby challenge Matthew Fick to share his most shameful gamer secret. I’m already preparing the hot tar and feathers.

Holy crap dude… should we send someone to restrain you during the Summer Sale?

Flamevector

My work is doing that for me haven’t been paid yet thank God 🙂 but next to play on my list is going to be Over watch (I hear Tarryns hears perking up at the sound of it) but i find my self to be more of a Multiplayer gamer Single player for when Internet dies 🙂

Tank Muller

Multiplayer games and work, the ultimate time-suckers. I feel ya.

Tarryn van der Byl

OVERWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATCH!

Flamevector

Yes i got it and loving it. still no thought of steam sale items good I guess.

Tank Muller

The FOV and movement speed didn’t make me quesy, but I sure didn’t like it.

Tank Muller

The FOV and movement speed didn’t make me quesy, but I sure didn’t like it.

Tank Muller

I played the first one for a total of 30 minutes… I just couldn’t play more than that. I’m usually all for playing older games, even if it is just to stop people from making fun of me, but I don’t know… I just couldn’t. Maybe one day, but probably not 😐

Global_Saffer

That’s too much. BURN HER!

Tank Muller

Shall I supply my own tar and feathers?

Tarryn van der Byl

I’m not a witch, I’m NOT a witch!

Tank Muller

I played the first one for a total of 30 minutes… I just couldn’t play more than that. I’m usually all for playing older games, even if it is just to stop people from making fun of me, but I don’t know… I just couldn’t. Maybe one day, but probably not 😐

Matthew Fick

Challenge accepted…

Tank Muller

I look forward to seeing what dark secrets you hide behind that innocent facade…

Tank Muller

UPDATE: I’ve at least finished Fallout 4 since I wrote this, and am currently about 80% done with Dark Souls II. I SHALL REDEEM MYSELF!

Global_Saffer

But have you finished the DLC?

Tank Muller

I’ve finished Automatron… I have Far Harbour and plan to finish it… sometime in the far future.

Global_Saffer

Tank Muller

Thank you, oh merciful one!

Global_Saffer

Super merciful……aaaaaaand I haven’t finished it myself :p

Alex Rowley

“Any Borderlands title other than the first
Rage
Alien Isolation
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3
Grand Theft Auto V
This War of Mine
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Dark Souls II and III (to be fair, I’m one boss away from finishing Dark Souls II… though I’ve been one boss away for about a year)
South Park: The Stick of Truth
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (even though it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played)
Fallout 4 (especially shameful as I’m doing the mod showcase for it… I know I know!)
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Call of Duty: Black Ops III (I usually finish the campaign mode with these things in a night or two… just not this one)
The original BioShock (BioShock 2 and Infinite sure, just not the game where it all started)”http://reaction.club/r/30f8aba.gif

Flamevector

I will gladly join you in any Borderlands game to assist with completion 🙂 steam name same as this one you can add me and together we shall complete our titles (where we can at least)

Tank Muller

Haha, sounds like a solid plan!

Tank Muller

The exact reaction I was expecting when I wrote this…

Global_Saffer

The more I think about this, the more I die inside. So many of those games are epic because of the ending! Why have you forsaken us, oh gaming gods? WHY!?

Tank Muller

Dude I know! I have shamed my entire fiefdom, a curse upon my lands!

{G}Zulu

“Shame”

Tim

‘ding ding ding’

Riaan Scholtz

One should never not finish a title that you love! Dishonour to the gaming gods!

Jan Adriaan Boshoff

I don’t have enough money for any games whatsoever on the steam sale… so that’s a good thing I suppose… my backlog is larger than most anyway soooo I got issues…..

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